Differential maturation of fetal responses to vibroacoustic stimulation in a high risk population

Maturation of human fetal response to vibroacoustic stimulation was examined in 163 high risk fetuses from 23 to 36 weeks gestational age (GA). Each fetus received three vibroacoustic trials and three no-stimulus control trials (randomly assigned) while fetal heart rate (FHR) was recorded and body movement was observed on ultrasound scan. For data analyses, fetuses were categorized into preterm compromised (n = 57), preterm healthy (n = 42) and term healthy (n = 64) based on evidence of compromise at birth. Differential maturation was observed among the outcome groups. The term healthy group exhibited a body movement and, on the first stimulus trial, an FHR deceleration response at 27 weeks GA with a shift to an FHR acceleration response at 30 weeks GA. By 33 weeks GA, responding was indistinguishable from that reported for low risk fetuses with response rates of 92% for both movements and FHR accelerations. The preterm healthy outcome group showed a body movement and an FHR acceleration response at 27 weeks GA. Over gestation, there was no maturation of either response. The preterm compromised outcome group showed a body movement response at 24 weeks GA which did not mature. An FHR acceleration response was elicited at 27 weeks GA with the magnitude of the acceleration increasing over gestation; at 33 weeks GA the magnitude was below that observed in the term healthy group. With advancing gestation, the rate of cardiac–movement coupling increased only in the two healthy outcome groups. It was concluded that differential fetal behaviour as a function of fetal/newborn outcome may reflect differential functional development of the fetal nervous system.     

The Relative Importance of Ethnicity: Ethnic Categorization among Older Children

In this study the relative importance of ethnic categories is investigated among Dutch and Turkish children (10 to 12 years of age). Children were asked to categorize and indicate preferences with respect to eight hypothetical contemporaries in different situations that were described by a combination of ethnicity, gender, and a psychological characteristic (“expressed affect or smartness”). The results show, first, that children preferred to use psychological characteristics for categorization. Second, the use of ethnic categories was domain-dependent: Ethnicity was used less often in indicating preferences for playing than preferences for working on an educational task and for explaining quarrels. Third, the use of ethnic categories was affected by stereotypes. It is concluded that the widely accepted idea that ethnicity plays a central role in the judgements of children in multi-ethnic situations seems overstated.     

Gender Differences in Memory Perspectives: Evidence for Self-Objectification in Women

This study tests Fredrickson and Roberts' (1997)assertion that cultural practices of sexuallyobjectifying women's bodies socialize women tointernalize an observer's perspective on their physicalselves. Autobiographical memories can contain imagesfrom two perspectives: the original, first personperspective (field images) and that of an outsideobserver (observer images) (Nigro and Neisser, 1983). We collected autobiographical memories for eventsin general and for specific, potentially objectifyingsituations from a predominantly European-American sampleof 138 female and 104 male students at a private university. Results demonstrated that femaleparticipants reported more observer imagery than maleparticipants both for memories in general and formemories of certain situations wherein women are likely to be sexually objectified. Women's and men'semotional responses to these situations were alsodifferent, with women reporting more negative affect,including shame and anxiety, and less positiveaffect.     

Anxiety and Depression in Children: A Preliminary Examination of the Utility of the PANAS-C

Recent research has questioned the validity of identifying depression and anxiety as separate constructs in children. The current investigation examined the usefulness of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Children (PANAS-C) in differentiating between anxiety and depression in children while also providing needed reliability and validity data on the PANAS-C. In addition, the relationship between positive and negative affect and coping was examined. Subjects included 110 third through fifth graders from a semirural public school setting. Children completed the PANAS-C, as well as self-report measures of depression, anxiety, and coping strategies. Moderate item–total correlations and high internal consistency indicated that the PANAS-C has good reliability. Validity results were mixed: a two-factor solution resembled previous studies, and negative affect was associated with avoidance coping strategies whereas positive affect was associated with approach coping strategies, as expected. However, correlations of positive and negative affect, anxiety, and depression scales suggest that positive and negative affectivity are negatively related in children as opposed to separate and independent constructs. Results of the present investigation question the validity of the use of the PANAS-C for differentiating anxiety and depression with this age group and lend support to the possibility that high overlap between anxiety and depression in this age group may be specific for childhood depression.     

A MULTIMETHOD ATTITUDE STUDY ABOUT WOMEN'S ROLES AND ISSUES

We examined the relationships among college students'attitudes about women's roles and issues measured directly using the Attitudes toward Women Scale (AWS), and indirectly using a free response measure, thought listing. The two types of measures were significantly related for both sexes, but more strongly related for men than for women. Women were more liberal than men in their responses to the AWS and to all thought listing stimuli except the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). Inter-relationships among responses for different thought listing stimuli were moderate to nonexistent, suggesting that students'attitudes vary greatly depending on the issue or role examined.     

REVIEWS

Feminism and Addiction, Claudia Bepko (Ed.). New York.
Feminist Perspectives on Addictions, Nan Van Den Bergh (Ed.). New York.
Engendered Lives, Ellyn Kaschak. New York.
Seldom Seen, Rarely Heard: Women's Place in Psychology, Jams Bohan (Ed.).
Still Loved by the Sun: A Rape Survivor's Journal, Migael Scherer. New York.     

CONTEMPORARY SEXISM

Previous research has examined the relationship between the Modern Sexism Scale (Swim, Aikin, Hall & Hunter, 1995) and the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI; Glick & Fiske, 1996) or the relationship between the Modern Sexism Scale and the Neosexism Scale (Campbell, Schellenberg, & Senn, 1997; Tougas, Brown, Beaton, & Joly, 1995). The present study examined the relationship between the ASI and the Neosexism Scale. Across three samples ( N = 907), neosexism was found to be associated primarily with the hostile rather than the benevolent component of ambivalent sexism. Hostile sexism, benevolent sexism, and neosexism were all significantly associated with attitudes toward lesbians' and gay men's rights, and both hostile sexism and neosexism were significantly associated with attitudes toward women's rights. Neosexism and hostile sexism were negatively associated with a humanitarian-egalitarian orientation, whereas benevolent sexism was positively associated with a Protestant-ethic orientation. It is concluded that, although both the Neosexism Scale and ASI measure contemporary sexism, only the Benevolent Sexism subscale of the ASI taps the subjectively positive side of contemporary sexism.     

BELIEFS AND ATTITUDES ABOUT SEXUAL AGGRESSION

This study investigated the correspondence between parents' and daughters' beliefs about sexual aggression and gender roles. The relationship between a woman's attitudes and her personal experiences with sexual victimization was also examined. The participants were 236 female undergraduates, 148 mothers, and 110 fathers. One hundred-three matching triads were collected. Participants evaluated victim responsibility for written scenarios depicting a date-rape victim. Information about gender-role attitudes, perceived family communication, and previous sexual experiences was also collected. Results indicated that daughter–mother, daughter–father, and mother–father dyads shared attitudes about gender roles and beliefs about victim responsibility. Parental attitudes also predicted daughters' attitudes, but family communication did not moderate the relationship between parental attitudes and daughters' attitudes. Mothers' and daughters' experiences of coerced sex were not associated. A relationship between attitudes and beliefs and experiences of coerced sex emerged only for mothers. Mothers with a history of coerced sex adhered to more traditional gender-role attitudes and assigned more responsibility to the date-rape victim. The need for further research in the area of familial attitudes about rape is discussed.